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Saturday, 25 July 2015

Hedgehogs in August - by BHPS

Those hoglets born at the start of the hedgehog season will
already be independent. Some of you may
have had the unforgettable experience of seeing a mother hedgehog trundle
across the lawn followed by 3 or 4 miniature replicas.

Once they are 8 weeks old they will tend to disperse and mum
may even try for another litter. Although these juveniles have had some experience of foraging, if the
weather is very dry, they will struggle to find food.Putting out a dish of hedgehog food or meaty
cat or dog food and a shallow bowl of water at this time of year is a good way
to encourage one of this year’s juvenile to settle in your garden.

If you have an uninhabited
hedgehog box, now is a good time to clear out any old bedding and replace it
with new.To check the box is empty
place a small piece of screwed up paper in the entrance late one
afternoon.If a hedgehog is sleeping
there it will push the paper aside as it leaves the nest.Repeat for a few days to be absolutely sure
nothing is using the box before opening it up.If there is a resident, do not open the box or attempt to clean it.To attract hedgehogs to a vacant nest box initially
you could leave a trail of biscuits in and around the box.Once it is inhabited leave the food further
away as they may encourage other visitors into the box and your original
visitor may be displaced.Using dry
hedgehog or cat biscuits means there will be no smell from decaying food and
they can be left out for some time before they become inedible.Slugs may also be less likely to be attracted
to them. This cuts down on waste and cost.Do remember to supply extra water as dry food will make them thirsty.

The numbers of some parasitic worms can increase at this
time of year and some of the smaller hedgehogs may end up with very heavy worm
burdens.Do keep an eye open for any
hedgehogs about in the day that seem to be in trouble.Back in June and July quite a few hedgehogs may
have been seen around at dawn and dusk because there are less daylight hours
for them to forage in.Those hedgehogs
will have been moving about with a purpose i.e. searching for food.Ones that are poorly will be listless (or
even static), wobbly or both.Hedgehogs
that appear to be asleep in the open are in trouble and need your help immediately.

If you find an abandoned hoglet or a sick or injured
hedgehog either contact us (if you live in the area we cover) or contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society they can give
general advice and perhaps details of a local hedgehog rehabilitator that you
can contact.Contact them on 01584 890801 or follow the link above.For more
general information about hedgehogs and how to help them visit the BHPS website.